Soft Skills Info

“Soft skills are an asset that neither employers nor employees can ignore.”

James Caan CBE

Soft skills are also known as the 21st century skills, because they’re recognised as being crucial for success and wellbeing in our rapidly changing world.

But there’s a mass of compelling evidence proving the existence of a dangerous ‘soft skills gap’ – a chasm between soft skills that are needed in today’s workplace, and the low levels that are available. So while demand for soft skills is growing, the supply side is lagging behind.

There are many, complex reasons for this situation, but a crucial one is that education and training isn’t properly geared up for these skills.

Soft skills are basic human capabilities that we ‘access’ in ourselves and then develop through experience. They’re not ‘input’ in the way we learn information.

But traditional methods of education and skills management were designed for an ‘inputting’ process. Consequently, such methods are ineffective when it comes to soft skills, and people aren’t developing the skills that today’s world demands.

This new skill set needs a new approach

Soft skills are essential for effective leadership, employee engagement, genuine diversity, innovation, handling multiple complexities – and all the vital qualities now, if a workplace is to be highly functioning. But don’t take our word for it…

By developing soft skills, individuals improve their wellbeing and employability, and organisations ramp up their performance, giving them a genuine advantage in this highly competitive, globalised economy.